Settlement in Stoke

Stoke was first known as “Brook Green” but renamed by William Songer who arrived in Nelson in 1841 as Captain Wakefield’s personal attendant. He was Stoke’s first settler, and named the place in memory of his English birthplace. Settlers cleared flax and raupo and fruit growing became the main occupation of settlers in Stoke by the mid 1890s.

This trail is the companion to the Saunter in Stoke and highlights some of the historic background of central Stoke.